Excavating bucket



A. GROUT EXCAVATING BUCKET March 27, 1928.

Filed Deb. 15, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR u'lbefl 61 0146 WI NESSES ATTORNEYS March 27, 1928.

A. GROUT EXCAVATING BUCKET Filed Dec. 15, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSES 6 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 27 1928.

was sf'ra'tEi'S ALBERT GROUT, or skull tr STE. MARI-E; MicriIeA n.

ExcAvA iING BUCKET.

metals filed n einbei This invention relates to animprovement in excavating buckets of the so-called clam shell. bucket. h v p x H H The object of the invention is to provide an excavating bucket of this character eni: bodying' a novel organization for opening and closing the sections o f the bucket and wherein reeving of the closing cables. is sim p e d h en e organ at o gr ere compact with the advantage that the bucket has a wide spread andaf diminished height, r y a n i r s i ol k, in lose quarters Where there isvery little .head room.

A furtherobjectresides in the provision of an excavating bucket havingthese advan; tagesand in whichthe closing cable reeving' provides for a powerful closing action.

Other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of the construction, ,arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter more .fully described and particularly .pointed out: in the appended claims jreference. beinghad to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and inywhich: I v V I Fi ure 1 is a plan View of an excavating bucket embodying the present invention, the bucket being shownin open position, J V

Figure 2 is a view thereof in side elevation of the bucket as shown in Figure 1,

FigureBis a longit dinal sectional. View; Figure 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing the reeving of the cables,

Figure 5 is a sectional view similar. to Figure 3 but showing the bucket in closed position,and r I Figure 6.is an'end elevational view of the bucket showing the same closed.

Referring to the drawings it will beseen that the embodiment of the present invention comprisesa pair of sections, designated at- 1 and 2. The sectionscl and '2 are of identical construction and each includes sides 3, hottoms Aezctending between the sides and-back 'walls 5 connected to the bottoms 4 and also sides 3 of the sections' taper toward their upper ends andthese small upper ends of'the 'nected to each other.

15 925. Serial Nb. 75, 00.

sides are pivotally mounted on a pivot shaft 7, held against ax al displacement by nuts 8.7 In this way the sections are pivotally con- Means is provided for c'losingthe sections 1 and 2 ofthe bucket and consists of a single closing cable 10 reevedaround sheaves;1"1,' 12,c 13 and 14 and an idlersheave 15: The sheaves 11 and 12 are mounted on the sec-: tion 1; the sheaves 13 and 14- on the sc ction v2 and the sheave'lfi on the pivot shaft 7. For the purpose of mountingjthe sheavesll and 12 on the section 1 of the bucket-and the sheaves 13'and 14 on t-hesection 2 thereofla cross member 16 of channel cross section is extended between and secured, to; the side Walls of each section ofthe bucket. Spaced bracketplates 17, are also provided and 'have lugs 18 secured to the cross members 16 and offset upper end portions 19 provided-with openingsin which the shaft 7 is rotatably fitted. The bracket 'plates 17 are helda'gainst displacement onfthe shaft 7 by means of spacing sleeves20. Thefpulleysf11, 12, 13

and'l are rotatably mounted on the bracket plates, 17 by means of pulley shafts "21 mount-edon these bracket plates. "The pulleys 11 and 12are spaced from each other by means of a spacing plate 22"h'eld in position by a cotter pin A similar spacing plate 24 and cotter pin 23 space the pulleys -13and 14. In both instances the cotter pin engages the bracket plates to hold the spacer plates against displacement. ,The idler sheave 15 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 7 between the upper end portions of] the bracket plates 17. One end of the closing cable 10 isanchored, as at 26 to the axis 21 of, the pulleys 13 and 14. The closing cable then extends across the bucket and is reeved under and over the pulley 12,, then extended back across the bucket and reeved under and over the pulley 14,'then back across the bucket and under and over the pulley 11, then, again back across the bucket and under and over the pulley 13. After leaving'the underside V of the pulley 13 the cablelO is extended hackto the center of thebucket and is reeved around the idler pulley 15.

An important feature of the invention relit) sides in the fact that the operating sheaves; that is, the sheaves 11, 12, 13 and 14 are pro vided only on the sections of the bucket and that the operating or closing cable is directly reeved around the sheaves. This is one of the main features which contributes largely to the capacity of the bucket to have a maximum spread and the minimum height in open position whereby it is adapted to deal effectively with the material and to be operated even in close quarters and where there is very little head room.

Means is provided for opening the sec: tions of the bucket and. consists in general of a cable and pulley operated toggle. The toggle is made up of two pairsof links, the links of each pair being designated at and 31. Each link 30 is pivotally mounted at one end on a transverse supporting shaft 32.

having .its ends mount-ed on the sides 3 of the sections 1 of the bucket and having its intermediate portions extended through the bracket plates 17 The links 31 are similarly pivotally supported on a shaft 33 which is carried by the sides 3 and bracket plates 17 of the section 2 of the bucket. The links 30 and 31 are also pivotally connected together by means of a pivot shaft 34 which extends through pivot openings in the lower ends of the links and which is held against displacement by means of nuts 35. The pivot shaft 34 is located in the center of the bucket and in vertical alignment with the axisof the shaft 7 in all positions and phases of operation.

With this arrangement when the shaft 34 is pulled upwardly toward the shaft 7 the links of the toggle force the sections 1 and'2 of the bucket to open position and on the other handwhen the shaft 34 moves downwardly away from the shaft 7 the links of the toggle permit the sections 1 and 2 to approach each other and eventually to come to the closed position shown in'Figure 5.

For the purpose of imparting these move ments to the shaft 34, pulley or sheave assemblies 36 and 37 are mounted on the shaft 34 and cables 38 and 39 are trained around the loose rotating pulleys of these assemblies. One end of the cable 38 is anchored, as at 40, on a lug 41 integrally formed with one of the bracket platesl? and the other cable 39 has one end similarly anchored to a lug 42 provided on another plate 17 The cables 38 and 39 are oppositely disposed in respect of the direction in'which they extend around their pulleys but both of these cables have an end anchored to a cross bar 43 carried by the, main opening cable 44.

WVith this arrangement when the tension on the closing cable 10 is slackened and the cable 44 is taken up the cables 38 and 39 are pulled upwardly to elevate the pulleys 36 and 37 and consequently to draw the shaft 34 up toward the shaft 7 thereby causing the toggles to open the sections of the bucket illustrated to advantage in Figures 2 and In this position the bucket is lowered onto the material to be hoisted or excavated and after the bucket has been dropped onto or engaged with this material the tension on the cable 44 is slackened and the cable 10 is taken up by the engine which effects a closing of the sections of the bucket in a power ful manner.

WVhen pivot shaft 34 is drawn upward toward pivot shaft 7, shaft 34 comes up against lower side of bracket 4O when bucket is atrits maximum opening and holds it from any wider opening.

I claim V V 1. In a clam shell bucket, a pair of bucket sections each havingextensions in longitudinal alinement with the sides of'the sections,

a pivot shaft connecting the free ends ofjthe.

extensions of both sections, a cross member connecting the sides of each section at the base of said extensions, a pair of laterally spaced bracket plates secured to each cross member with their upper ends engaged with said pivot shaft, a pulley shaft mounted between each pair of plates adjacent. the cross member of each section, a pair of pulleys carried by each pulley shaft, and a single closing cable anchored at one end to a pulley on one section and reeved around the pulleys of both sections extending directlywithout deflection from the pulleys of one section'to the pulleys of the other section, the bucket sections being adapted to open out into longitudinal alinement and in alinement with their supporting pivot when in, open posi: tion, thereby adapting the bucket to have a maximum spread with a minimumheight in open position. v 1 o 2. In a clam shell bucket, a pair ofbucket sections each having extensions in longitudinal alinement with the sides thereof and tapering toward their upper ends, a pivot shaft connecting the free ends of said extensions, a cross member connecting the. sides of each section at the base of said extensions, a pair of laterally spaced bracket plates secured to each cross member with their upper ends inwardly offset and engaged with the pivot shaft, spacing sleeves on said shaft to hold said plates against displacement, a pulley shaft mounted between each pair of plates adjacent the cross member, a pair of pulleys carried by each pulley shaft, and a single closing cable anchored to one section and reeved around the pulleys of both sections, being reeved from pulleys in one section directly to those of the other section without deflections from thepulleys of one section to the pulleys of the other, and an idler pulley carried by the pivot shaft around which said cable passes after being reeved around the pulleys of the two sections. 7

3. In a clam shell bucket a pair of bucket V Ill] sections, each having side plates with extensions in longitudinal alinement therewith, a pivot shaft connecting the free ends of said extensions, a cross member connecting the sides of each section at the base of said extensions, a pair of laterally spaced bracket plates secured to each cross member with their upper ends engaged with said pivot shaft, a pulley shaft mounted between each pair of plates adjacent the cross members, a 1

means connected with said'side plates for 15 opening the bucket sections.

ALBERT GROUT. 

